FOR GREATER GLORY ENDS ABRUPTLY IN TRAGEDY
The Catholic Church used the threat of excommunication to control civilian authorities for many centuries until the rise of militarism and secularism. From the mid-19th century, México had sought to establish a clear boundary between church and state, but in practice the appropriate formula was difficult for a country in which priests were more respected than politicians. When atheist President Plutarco Calles came to power in 1924, his attempt to reduce the power of the church deprived the Church of property rights and deprived the clergy of civil liberties, including their right to trial by jury and the right to vote; he stopped religious education and ordered all foreign-born priests to repatriate to their countries of origin. Understandably, Catholics were incensed, and the result from 1926-1929 was the Cristeros War, in which ordinary Catholics fought back. Some 90,000 died on both sides before the conflict ended. For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada, directed by Dean Wright, is the story of that rebellion, albeit with dramatic license. Much attention is directed to José (played by Mauricio Kuri), a boy in his early teens who throws something at a priest (played by Peter O’Toole), who in turn forgives him, befriends him, and begins to train him as an altar boy. But José joins the rebels and is adopted by General Velarde (played by Andy García) after he has been asked to become the commander of the rebellion. The film suggests that the general’s affection for the boy was his downfall, as he enters a government garrison, hoping to stop José’s imminent execution, only to die while his unit is ambushed the following morning. The film also identifies the role of the United States. President Calvin Coolidge (played by Bruce McGill) sends Dwight Morrow (played by Bruce Greenwood) as the new ambassador to México in order to reverse the nationalization of American oil companies by Calles (played by Rubén Blades). Morrow, in turn, arranges a truce by negotiating with representatives of the pope before they were expelled from the country. Papal approval, requiring the government to reopen churches, stops the rebellion. The film ends before filmviewers might have learned that the government continued to kill Cristeros after the truce, that nationalization of oil stopped (but occurred anyway in 1938), or that the truce was actually handled by the newly president, Emilio Gil, not Calles. Nevertheless, the film brings facts to light that are not generally known, especially the human rights violations inflicted on innocent women and children, meriting a Political Film Society nomination of For Greater Glory, subtitled The True Story of Cristiada, as best film exposé and best film on human rights of 2012. However, the film is not an anti-war film, as one line gives highest praise to those who fight and die for the glory of God. MH